en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/661339 Comments by Pat664422 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=1357#IDComment35703763 Smitty definitely sounds like he is back. That's five periods of solid hockey and one solid collision. Sorry it was to the groin Smitty, but better than your head. Thanks for the continued coverage of the bolts. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:23:40 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=1357#IDComment35703763 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35370106 I don't have season tickets. We usually go for the cheaper 3rd lvl seats in the one of the attacking corners. For this preseason game, the crowd liked the Konopka fights even though he got killed both times. Another nearby fan seemed more obsessed with blowing into one of those horns constantly than following the game. And there were the obligatory "Shoot! Shoot!" screams and shouts when Marty or Vinny entered the zone with the puck. And sadly, I couldn't tell for sure, but it almost sounded like we were blaring canned fan noise on the speakers when the jumbotron displayed the decibel meter. But there was a crowd of 16,000 plus at a preseason game, so that was good for the team. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:41:50 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35370106 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35319409 Darn in... everytime I log in and try to comment, the comment box is filled with that old comment. Sorry about that. Here's the comment I actually tried to make: I went to the game. I was a little disappointing the Lightning didn't dominate the game. The thrashers were mostly playing prospects. It looked like a lot of Lightning shots went high when they had their chances and there was more passing up chances to shoot than normal in an effort to help out some of the new guys to the team. Kurtis Foster looked really strong to me, with his shot and some hits he threw. Hedman has played 27 minutes in both preseason games so far. That's encouraging. St Louis created the turnover that led to the 2 on 0 and then finished it. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:29:16 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35319409 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35319334 The article seems a little heavy on the mocking, so I couldn't tell how serious you were being. It's been reported that last offseason three different people were cutting deals with players. And the hiring of Melrose was a disaster, but Koules has admitted that was 100% his fault. I was pretty down on the owners when they had to go to Bettman to get things under control. But since that meeting, Lawton's apparently been in control and the team has taken a clearer direction. It's not only the players Lawton was able to get, but the contracts he signed them too. Getting Tanguay for 2.5 mil for one year - that's low risk/high reward to me. He signed Niitty, Smaby, Vellieux (who could have signed with the sharks for two years), Foster all for around 600K each - he's been spending the money very responsibly. Perhaps he doesn't have a choice, but he's doing it well this year. I've read that since Ohlund was under 35 when he signed his deal, if he retires, it won't count against the cap or something to that effect. The only questionable one in my opinion is giving Walker 1.7 for 4 years, but he's apparently quite tough. The draft was also handled very well, getting two players in the first round, and Panik, our 2nd rounder, tore it up in his first two games at windsor before training camp started. The team is definitely heading in a better direction. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:28:12 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=953#IDComment35319334 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=703#IDComment34950421 I didn't see the game, but I listened on the radio. I pretty much agree with you - Hedman's and the team's performance was encouraging. We didn't dress Ohlund, Mez, Ranger or Walker, but held them well under 30 shots in regulation. Janus sounded like he did very well in his NHL game as well. It sounded like Brad Richards was the difference for them - 2 points in reg and the shootout winner. Glad to see him doing well. We'll see how Smitty does against the young dirty birds before we really get excited. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:12:31 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=703#IDComment34950421 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=334#IDComment34728253 The article seems a little heavy on the mocking, so I couldn't tell how serious you were being. It's been reported that last offseason three different people were cutting deals with players. And the hiring of Melrose was a disaster, but Koules has admitted that was 100% his fault. I was pretty down on the owners when they had to go to Bettman to get things under control. But since that meeting, Lawton's apparently been in control and the team has taken a clearer direction. It's not only the players Lawton was able to get, but the contracts he signed them too. Getting Tanguay for 2.5 mil for one year - that's low risk/high reward to me. He signed Niitty, Smaby, Vellieux (who could have signed with the sharks for two years), Foster all for around 600K each - he's been spending the money very responsibly. Perhaps he doesn't have a choice, but he's doing it well this year. I've read that since Ohlund was under 35 when he signed his deal, if he retires, it won't count against the cap or something to that effect. The only questionable one in my opinion is giving Walker 1.7 for 4 years, but he's apparently quite tough. The draft was also handled very well, getting two players in the first round, and Panik, our 2nd rounder, tore it up in his first two games at windsor before training camp started. The team is definitely heading in a better direction. You are probably wiser to be "cautiously" optimistic. They have taken a pretty big gamble on Smith. Niitty should help a lot, but I don't know if he can completely carry the load if needed. That's my biggest concern. But I see a big difference in last offseason - targetting spending this year vs spending to spend in a pretty bad free agent crop last season. I also tip my hat to the owners and Lawton for being able to create the buzz and excitement you referred to despite two consecutive bottom 2 finishes. We need people to come to the games. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:12:55 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=334#IDComment34728253 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=334#IDComment34686690 This article seems more like like a desperate attempt to elicit responses rather than a serious update on the Lightning. I'll help you out. The excitement around the team is not because of the scrimmage - it's because Lawton addressed almost all of our teams weaknesses in the offseason - Ohlund, Walker, Foster and Hedman instantly upgrades our defense in terms of experience, toughness and size. Tanguay gives us two scoring lines and our lower forward lines got some help with Vellieux, Fedoruk and possibly Miller. Niitty is a goaltender still with some upside who should be able to lighten the load on Smith more than Ramo would have. On top of that you have Vinny Lecavalier with something to prove this season. Smith and the readiness of Mezzy and Ranger after their shoulder surgeries are our biggest questions. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:18:29 +0000 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=334#IDComment34686690